Established in 1988 as a non-profit organization to provide international guests with a place to rest and relax in the beauty of rural Japan, the 5 properties will close for financial reasons at the end of the year.

Monday, December 29, 2008

At the closest point, the islands of Kyushu and Honshu are a mere 700 meters apart. The narrow channel called Kanmon Straits is a very busy waterway with about 600 ships a day passing through it.

In 1973 the two islands became connected by the Kanmonkyo Bridge which carries traffic across its central span of 712 meters, and not far away is the Kanmon Railway Tunnel, the first undersea tunnel in Japan, but underneath the Kanmonkyo Bridge is the Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel.

Connecting Mojiko on the Kyushu side with Shimonoseki on the Honshu side, the tunnel is a little over 700 meters long, and can be walked in 10-15 minutes.

It's a very popular walk, with many people simply walking from one side and back again, collecting the stamp at either end, but many people make a round trip by connecting with the ferry that runs from Shimonoseki to Mojiko.

The tunnel entrance in Mojiko is about a 15 minute walk from the main tourist attractions in the centre of Mojiko, which is where the ferry runs from. Next to the entrance is Mekari Shrine, the northernmost shrine in Kyushu.

There were 3.21 million people working as temporary staff in Japan in
2007, triple the 1.07 million temps in 1999.

Source: Labor Ministry

There have been 5,000 traffic fatalities this year up to December 23.
Aichi has the most with 262 road deaths, followed by Saitama 224,
Hokkaido 222 and Tokyo and Chiba with 210 each. Tottori had the fewest
deaths at 29, followed by Nagasaki 39, Shimane and Tokushima 40 each
and Okinawa 41.

Source: National Police Agency

The number of elementary, junior high, and senior high school teachers and staff on psychiatric leave topped 8,000 this year. That is a threefold increase compared to only ten years ago.

Of the 916,000 teachers who took part in a Ministry of Education survey, 8,069 indicated that they were on leave and receiving psychiatric treatment.

The reasons given by those on leave included: #1 relations with students and parents have changed, leading to unresolvable problems; #2 relations at work less supportive than in the past; #3 work duties too great; #4 problems at home.

Source: Asahi Shinbun

85,012 nonregular workers have lost or will lose their jobs in Japan through March 2009. Aichi topped the list with 10,059 job losses followed by Nagano with 4,193, Fukushima 3,856, Shizuoka 3,406 and Tochigi 2,912.

Source: Health, Labor & Welfare Ministry

There were 739,100 foreign visitors to Japan in October 2008. A 5.9% drop on the previous year's figures for the month. South Korean visitors fell 15.2% to 188,800.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Tokyo correspondent Leo Lewis wrote in a recent Times of London piece that the abbreviations noted below are becoming widely used by Japanese people under 25.

He moreover went on to quote an expert that this is evidence that Japanese are becoming more direct and perhaps a tad less aware of the feelings of others--and, worst of all, sowing confusion among their their elders.

"The surging use of acronyms, sociologists and language experts say, has created a significant shift in young people's attitudes to elders, and in junior workers' attitudes to bosses. Even among acronym addicts of a similar age, the emerging lexicon allows them to trade abuse freely in a way that traditional Japanese makes rather tricky," writes Lewis.

Having never heard of or heard any of them, we were suspicious. For the record, though, here they are:

Unlike the ubiquitous KY (空気読めない、kuuki yomenai = clueless), the above remain a mystery. A casual survey of college students and young people in Osaka and Kyoto (face to face), and Tokyo (via email and cell phone) produced only confusion and laughter.

One young Japanese woman in Tokyo said on the phone that she thought, perhaps, that she may have heard FK on tv or from a friend. In Kansai, however, there was merely giggling and "Nope, never heard of any of them."

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Japan's shinkansen (bullet train) is a true icon of the country: fast, stylish and safe.

In service since 1964 when it was developed for the Tokyo Olympics of that year, the shinkansen rail network now stretches between the northern and southern tips of the main Japanese island of Honshu and to Fukuoka on Kyushu and from there south to Kagoshima.

Shinkansen at a glance

2,459km of track
Carries around 370,000 people daily
Reaches speeds of 300km per hour

The pagoda at Ruriko-ji Temple is 31.2 meters tall, with roofs of cypress bark. It is a designated National Treasure.

Ruriko-ji Temple's pagoda was built by the 26th generation daimyo Morimi Ouchi for his brother, the 25th generation daimyo Yoshihiro Ouchi.

The pagoda at Ruriko-ji is particularly worth seeing during cherry blossom season, and also at night as it is illuminated.

Yamaguchi City is known as the "Kyoto of the West" as the town was home to many nobles and artists from Kyoto during the late Muromachi Period while Kyoto was suffering from wars.

Entrance to the park around the pagoda and the temple is free, but nearby is a small museum with models of pagodas and photographs of other pagodas around Japan. Open 9-5, 7 days a week. Entrance 300yen.

Ruriko-ji is located north of central Yamaguchi City, a short bus ride or 15 min. walk from Kameyama Park.

Monday, December 22, 2008

The Art Complex Center of Tokyo is a fairytale-looking gallery just to the east of Shinjuku Gyoen Park, just off Gaien Higashi Dori Avenue. I went there to see the Nagoya artist Kotoe’s “Setting Moon” (Ochidzuki) exhibition.

Kotoe is an artist who works with paper, forming intricate patterns and creating unique effects using nothing but a knife and a single-color pen.

Kotoe’s works take the form of single sheets of paper, or multiple sheets, each finely cut, and arrayed with other sheets to form a whole. The largest work on display was a single sheet (not, actually, of paper, but of black plastic) that portrayed a moonlit landscape stretching across a whole wall.

Kotoe’s exhibition in Tokyo is now over, but she plans more in the future. Keep an eye out for further exhibitions by Kotoe on JapanVisitor’s What’s on in Tokyo page.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

During an emergency or when there is breaking news that just can't wait until the next edition, Japanese newspapers print out and distribute for free a several page, special edition.

These are called "gogai" in Japanese.

When this happens, you will see teams of young people wearing hats or vests identifying themselves as being part of the Asahi Shinbun, for example, and yelling "Gogai! Gogai!" as they give out the papers to commuters and passersby.

A typical example would be damage from a large earthquake, when a new prime minister is elected, just after the Akihabara rampage, and even when Barack Obama won the recent election in the United States.

Much to our surprise, though, was the "gogai" we received near Kyobashi Staion in Osaka - a special issue full of half-dressed women.

The "theme" of the Sun Sports "gogai" was women - and how to meet them.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The last time I traveled to Hekinan in Aichi Prefecture was to pay a visit to the Kiyozawa Manshi Memorial Museum - a small facility dedicated to the 19th century Buddhist ascetic Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1901).

Being a Monday, the nearby Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art was closed, so I returned recently to visit the modern museum and follow the trail of around 20 public art sculptures scattered throughout Hekinan.
The map provided by the museum is not the easiest to follow, which adds to the satisfaction (or frustration) of actually tracking down the sculptures.

Three of the 20-odd pieces are by foreign artists with works by Karen Stalker, Elizabeth McDowell and Charles Worthen. Among the Japanese sculptors are such names as Sumikawa Kiichi, Horiuchi Masakazu, Kunishima Seichi, Oda Jyo, Suzuki Minoru and Sato Churyo.

The public art sculptures are mainly located in the areas around Hekinan Station and Hekinan-chuo Station.

The Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art is named after Fujii Tatsukichi (1881-1964), a locally-born, multi-talented craft artist of the Taisho and Showa periods, who preached that craft artists should do more than just perfect the form of their chosen craft but also show off their own artistry and originality in their work.

Hekinan Station can be reached on the Meitetsu Line from Nagoya, Kanayama and Toyota Stations changing at Chiryu.
The museum is a short walk south of the station, across the road from the Saihoji Temple, with its ancient, spreading pine tree.

Meriken Park, supposedly so-called, as it was the local pronunciation of "American" in the Meiji Period, when Kobe was opened as a treaty port to western trade, is Kobe city's most distinctive stretch of waterfront. Meriken Park also has a memorial to victims of the 1991 Great Hanshin Earthquake and is the location of the Hotel Okura Kobe and the Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

At the end of every year, the Japan Kanji [i.e. Chinese character] Proficiency Certification Society solicits from the public the kanji that best sums up the past year.

A ceremony takes place at Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera Temple where the selected kanji is publicly put to parchment by a calligrapher.

The kanji selected this year was the character for “change,” pronounced “hen”. The reasons given for this year’s choice are the economic changes that happened this year with the plummet in the value of stocks and the soaring of the value of the yen, the change in the public’s consciousness regarding contaminants in food (presumably the Chinese milk powder scandal – not such a convincing reason when Japan has had no shortage of similar domestic incidents), and the political reforms that have happened in Japan, as well as in the United States with the election of Barack Obama.

Change was also posited as a theme in relation to the changing fortunes of Japan – for the better - in terms of Nobel prizes awarded and Olympic medals won.

Out of 111,208 proposals from the general public, “hen” (i.e. change) was the winner, making up 6,031 of them. In second place was “kin” (i.e. money), followed by “raku” (i.e. fall/drop), then “shoku” (i.e. food), then “ran” (i.e. confusion/disarray).

The character “hen” displayed above was kindly written by the Tokyo calligrapher Ransui Yakata for JapanVisitor.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The flower is thought to have been introduced into Japan in the 8th century AD.

Later the Emperor adopted the flower for his official seal, and his throne itself is known as the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The chrysanthemum crest (菊花紋章, kiku kamonsho) is often used as a design element, the Imperial Seal of Japan merely being the most famous. For example, chrysanthemum crests are often found in Japanese shrines, and also grace the Self Defense Force's Mikasa battleship.

The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's greatest honor, given out by the Emperor, and similar to France's Legion of Honor.Past recipients include Prince Charles and President Ronald Reagan.

Unlike France, where the full, bushy flower can be used as an allusion to part of the female anatomy, in Japan the chrysanthemum has been used in poetry to allude to a (different but not so distant) part of the male anatomy and is a metaphor for homosexuality.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Jiuta - (jee-oo-tah) literally "earth songs" - are traditional Japanese songs sung to the accompaniment of the shamisen. Jiuta were first heard in the early 17th century at private households and the entertainment districts around Kyoto and Osaka. Handed down by blind male musicians, this music rapidly flourished among the rising urban and literate classes during the Edo period. The fine timbre and subtle lyricism of jiuta have been cultivated since then, creating an intimate relationship between the performers and the audience. One is able to imagine how this music was appreciated amongst the people of the time from ukiyoe woodblock prints.

Fujii Akiko, one of the foremost performers of jiuta, is the daughter of the renowned Ningen-Kokuh, or "Living National Treasure," the late Fujii Kunie. Her family has passed on this historically influential and artistic music which has survived over 400 years, and their highly artistic singing style clearly embodies the world of jiuta. Her haunting voice has achieved acclaim both in Japan and abroad. She has received awards from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation and the Pola Foundation.

This concert is the 2nd opportunity to enjoy a varied selection of jiuta. It is accompanied by the traditional dance "Jiuta-Mai", the intricate plucking of the koto, the resonant vibration of the shamisen, and the meditative tone of the fue (flute) and the tsuzumi (hand drum). To hear their sensuous complexity with the beauty of the singing is to experience the romantic art of voice as it was heard in old Edo (the old name for Tokyo).

The Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation is trying to introduce jiuta to the international community in Tokyo and abroad. Oshogatsu (New Year) is one of the best times to come into contact with Japanese traditional culture. Music fans and kimono lovers should not miss the chance to meet this outstanding artist at Tokyo's Aoyama Round Theatre.

All are welcome. Experience for yourself an old and beautiful Japanese musical tradition.

Monday, December 15, 2008

On the first Sunday of each month there is an antique and flea market in Kameyama Park in downtown Yamaguchi City. The market runs from dawn to lunchtime, but in the short space of time between dawn and sunrise the market has been picked clean of real bargains by serious and professional antique dealers. Even so, the public still has plenty to see and buy for the rest of the morning, and the crowds make this the biggest antiques market in west Japan.

The back half of the market is a flea market of stalls mostly selling used clothes, household goods, DVDs, toys etc. Most of the sellers seem to be students from the two universities in town.

The antiques section has lots of fascinating stuff; including stallholders decked out in World War II Japanese Army uniforms.

Kameyama Park is located across the street from the Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum, and that is a good place to park as the parking for the market itself is usually full.

Random attacks hit a record high in Japan this year. In the first 11 months of 2008, there were 13 random attacks that were prosecuted as murder or attempted murder. This is the highest since such statistics started being compiled in 1993.

In total crime data, there were 1,674,773 criminal cases in the first 11 months of this year. That is a 4.9% decline on the previous year.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Japanese Oseibo gift giving season is around christmas time in mid December. It is the time to say thank you to those who helped or supported you throughout the year. Thus a business might send a gift to major clients, a specialist doctor might thank other practitioners for referrals, a student might send a gift to his sensei, etc.

Estate Wines offers handsomely packaged wine gift sets, complete with a noshigami. We can also include your personal message and greeting card and will send the gift directly to the recipient in your name.
We invite you to sign up and receive a ¥2,000 discount coupon. Alternatively, you can simply leave your name and email address at our contact page and we will send you the discount coupon by returning mail.

Estate Wines is your indispensable source for interesting, small-production, food-friendly wines. We pride ourselves on our unique collection of organic wines. All wines are professionally cellared in Japan and ready for delivery within 2 - 5 working days. Our Wines are available as full cases, mixed cases, or as gift sets.
Surprise your friends or business associates in Japan with an inspiring gift of fine wines or champagnes, including a greeting card with your personal message

No matter where you are located, should you wish to send someone a gift in Japan we will make sure it will be delivered quickly and safely and that the packaging conforms to the local cultural requirements. Sending wine gifts to friends and business associates is easier than ever before. Ordering gifts online is quick and secure.

Friday, December 12, 2008

IN JANUARY 2013, THE "FOUR SEASONS HOTEL AT CHINZANSO" CHANGED ITS NAME TO THE "HOTEL CHINZANSO TOKYO"

Four Seasons at 椿山荘

The Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (the former "Four Seasons Hotel at Chinzanso") in Tokyo’s Bunkyo ward is one of Tokyo’s most beautiful hotels in that it looks out over the elaborately landscaped Chinzan-So Garden.

I went through the Garden with a friend this week, admiring the crafted knolls, ponds, and waterfall, the delightful flower gardens, and the numerous historical objects brought here from all over Japan. Most of the cultural realia is in the form of stone lanterns and carvings, but the Garden even boasts a whole three-storey wooden pagoda taken from a 17th century temple.

After a half-hour stroll through Chinzan-So Garden, taking in the dramatic colors of fall, with the modern lines of the Four Seasons Hotel at Chinzanzo in the background, we came back out onto the street. But the sightseeing was not over.

Walking just ahead of us was an old man with his dog – and his turtle! Probably about 50cm in length, the big, solid amphibian was crawling slowly ahead of its master and his dog, the walk made easier, one hopes, by the special turtle slippers that its master had fitted its back legs with. (Just visible in the photo below.)

The slow pace was perfect for the glorious, fine autumn day that it was, especially with us just having emerged from the calmness and serenity of the Four Seasons’ Chinzan-So Garden.

We headed back to Edogawabashi Station on the Yurakucho Subway line and made our unhurried way home.

Notice that some of the colors are taken from English and written in katakana such as orange (orenji オレンジ) and pink (pinku ピンク). In fact, the colors are frequently rendered in English / katakana for new loan words such as シルバーシート ("silver seats" reserved for the elderly on buses and subways), ブラクホール (blackhole), グリーンカード (green card).
However, blueprint is still aojyashin (青写真) and blue sky aozora (青空). Interestingly traffic light green is "blue" so a green light is aoshingo (青信号) and to be still green around the ears, or naive is aoppoi (青っぽい).

Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!

Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

Special game prizes including a 1GB iPod Shuffle!!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Tsurumai Station (JR Chuo Line [South Exit] or Subway Tsurumai Line [Exit #4])

Nagoya City Public Hall (4th Floor, #7)

1-1-3 Tsurumai (2 minutes walk from Tsurumai Station)

Train Directions

From Nagoya Station from Nagoya Station take the JR Chuo-Honsen Line and get off at the second station (Tsurumai). From Tsurumai Station, get off at south exit

From Sakae/Fushimi Area, catch the Tsurumai Subway Line at Fushimi Station(bound for Akaike) and get off at the third (3rd) stop - Tsurumai. From Tsurumai Station, get off at exit #4

The Design Hotels group has filled a gap in Kyoto with its chic boutique hotel The Screen.

As the leading tourist destination in Japan, Kyoto has no shortage of hotels. Almost all of them, however, fall into one of several narrow categories - western style hotel, "business" hotel (budget hotels that are mainly single rooms), or Japanese ryokan (inn) - the only variation being cost and rank.

The Screen is something different.

Located just south of the Imperial Palace on Teramachi Street, a tree-lined street full of shops and restaurants, it is a high-end boutique hotel with just 13 distinctive rooms.

Each room has been designed by a different designer, among them Jotaro Saito, Sam Liu, and others.

Though the building is uber modern, there are many references to Japan and its culture. For example, wagasa (Japanese umbrellas) have been remade into lampshades that decorate the lobby.

This is not a backpacker type place. Rooms start at $430. Coffee in the elegant restaurant cafe set us back 983 yen ($9).

From Keihan Marutamachi Station, a seven-minute walk. Exit the station, cross the bridge that spans the Kamo River. The first large intersection is Kawaramachi Street. Cross this street and continue straight. When you come to the Imperial Palace, this will be Teramachi Street. Turn onto Teramachi and walk south, away from the Imperial Palace. The Screen is on the right.

From Marutamachi Station, on the Karasuma subway line, walk 10 minutes east along Marutamachi Street. The Imperial Palace will be on your left. At Teramachi, turn right. On the right side.

In 2007, there were 177 recorded incidences of the 419 or "Nigerian scam" in Japan, with 264 cases so far this year. In total, there were 419 cases of similar scams in Japan with losses of 27 billion yen - the 3rd highest amount in the world for 2007.

Source: Foreign Ministry

The amount of tax paid on a packet of cigarettes, usually costing 300 yen, is 189.17 yen or 63.1%.

Source: Japan Tobacco Inc

Okayama has more cemeteries than any other prefecture with 107,726, followed by Shimane and Nagano.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

If you were to look at a map of Kyoto, or see the city from a bird's eye view, there would be a massive slab of green just north of downtown. The massive slab is the park where, for roughly 1,000 years lasting until 1868, Japan's Emperors lived.

Kyoto Gosho, the Imperial Palace, is a huge park that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

These two facts distinguish it from Tokyo's Imperial Palace - where the present Emperor, his family, and entourage now live - which is open only on New Year's Day.

Another difference is that Tokyo is heavily guarded while Kyoto Gosho is only lightly patrolled. A police car or two meander slowly around the grounds every hour or so.

At night, it is quiet and safe and nearly empty.

In addition to the Emperor's former residence, the Kyoto State Guesthouse (where visiting VIPs stay), and other traditional buildings, there are tennis courts and baseball fields.

Gosho is also popular for birders, for "hanami" (cherry viewing) parties, and the fall colors.

Last Sunday, we took a bike ride around the massive grounds. It was a picture perfect late fall, early winter morning.

Photographers and walkers and a few tourists were out in force.

The top picture is of the length of a wall, looking north, of the former imperial residence.

The lower picture shows a gate on the east side, around the corner from the top.

Friday, December 05, 2008

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Yunotsu (it's Chinese characters are "onsen port") is a small, historic port in Shimane Prefecture.

It was from Yunotsu harbor that silver, from the nearby Iwami Ginzan mines, was shipped to Edo (now Tokyo) in the 16th and 17th centuries. Yunotsu also handled supplies that were needed to develop the mines and support the thousands of miners, and those that served them (including a large number of prostitutes to satisfy the miners' carnal needs and monks to deal with the many funerals, as an Iwami Ginzan miner's life was usually very short).

The silver from this area of Shimane was traded overseas as well as used domestically and Japanese silver coin "Soma Silver" could even be found in Europe. The Iwami Ginzan mines were directly controlled by the Tokugawa regime and the whole area was fenced off to deter intruders.

Nowadays, Yunotsu port is a small fishing port and also transports fine sand from the area to the Mazda car factory in Hiroshima to be used in making engine moulds.

The main village of Yunotsu has become a growing tourist area, known for its historic buildings and onsen hot springs, since the UNESCO World Heritage listing. The hot water in the village was forced to the surface following an earthquake in 1872.

The most famous of the onsen in town is Yakushiyu, which dates from 1919. The original, wooden Taisho-era bath-house is now the rather posh Shinyu gallery and cafe, which serves excellent curry and pasta, by the way, but no alcohol.

The Yakushiyu bath house next door to the gallery was recently awarded the highest ranking by the Japan Spa Association for its water quality and management. Only about a dozen onsen hot springs in Japan have received the top ranking.

After taking a bath on the ground floor, visitors are invited to walk up to the roof-top terrace to relax and take in the lovely view of the town below.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The words or phrases that best "reflect" the recent year in Japanese society were recently chosen at the annual 2008 U-CAN Awards ceremony.

First prize went to 「アラフォー」"arafo-," which is used to refer to a woman around 40 years old. Second prize went to 「グ〜！」, "gu~" (good).

"Arafo-" was the title of a television series that portrayed the lives of forty-somethings.

The second grand prize went to the very irritating 「グ〜！」. Edo Harumi, herself forty-something, is a "talento" whose only talent seems to be to make an odd face while giving the thumbs up sign and uttering 「グ〜！」.

Other words nominated included:

「居酒屋タクシー」(izakaya taxi). This refers to the cabs that offered a beer or two to bureaucrats on their ride home after a long day at the Ministry.

「上野の４１３球」(Ueno no 413 kyu). The Japanese women's softball team took the gold medal in Beijing this summer, mainly on the back (arm) of starting pitcher Yukiko Ueno. She threw a total of 413 pitches in three days.

Reservations:PrePaid spots are Guaranteed! Only 30 men and 30 women. Reserve and prepay to secure your spot.

Nagoya Speed Dating is a great way to meet new people in the Aichi, Gifu and Mie Areas! At Nagoya Speed Dating, you will receive a number, an assigned table, and a personalized Speeding Ticket form. When the host says to start you will have between 3 to 5 minutes to talk to the person at your table. When the time is up the host will give you a signal. At that time the men will change tables and the women will remain seated. All you have to do is mark your speeding ticket with a yes or a no for each person. At the end of the event, the tickets will be analyzed and Nagoya Speed Dating will notify you of your matches. After that you will also receive contact info for the people you have matched with. Nagoya Speed Dating is a safe, easy, and fun way to meet new people. Come check out Nagoya Speed Dating!

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Fushimi Station (Higashiyama Line or Subway Tsurumai Line[Exit #5])

Sakae 2-9-26 Pola Building 2F

Train Directions

From Nagoya Station from Nagoya Station take the Higashiyaama Line and get off at Fushimi Station . From the Station, Take Exit #5